UFO GROUP FASCINATED BY GULF BREEZES SIGHTINGS

      02/28/88
      GULF BREEZES, FL (UPI) [Via Moseley/Saucer Smear] -- A man who took 
21 photos of objects he says are flying saucers and claims he has twice 
seen diminutive aliens has generated interest from a group that 
investigates UFO sightings.
      Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON, in Texas says the Panhandle case is 
either an elaborate hoax or one of the most amazing encounters ever. The 
key is "Ed," a home builder with bizarre tales of encounters he claims are 
continuing.
      In the March edition of MUFON's "UFO Journal," investigators       
offer one possible explanation for why Ed is privy to sightings: aliens 
may have placed an implant in his head in an abduction years ago, and the 
implant is now being activated.
      Hoax or not, it's garnered a lot of interest from a local weekly.
      It all began when the Gulf Breeze Sentinel on Nov. 19 published 
Polaroid photos of a glowing object. The anonymous photographer claimed 
they were taken Nov. 11. He said he would come forward if others saw the 
same thing.
      The following week the paper published accounts from other residents 
who claimed they saw a similar object, and other photos taken by two other 
anonymous photographers.
      The newspaper has had nearly weekly updates ever since. This week 
the paper published a four-page insert with more photos and an open letter 
from "Ed." In addition to a picture purporting to show a UFO with a light 
beam shining down, the insert has a drawing of a 4-foot-tall alien with 
almond shaped eyes and carrying a silver wand.
      Two daily newspapers that previously ignored the sightings last week 
ran stories, and a local television station had a three-part series about 
Ed's sightings. The editor of the Gulf Breeze paper said he has talked to 
reporters from Miami and Orlando and the National Enquirer in Lantana.
      The photographs have been scrutinized by many people who claim to be 
photo experts. Some say they are the real thing, others say they are set 
up. None has said how they were doctored.
      Ed's reliability is the key, and he has made some incredible claims.
      The article in the MUFON publication said it was premature to make a 
judgment about the validity of the case, but does call the sightings an 
"incredible UFO photographic and CE-III (Close Encounter of the Third 
Kind) case."
      It describes in detail 13 alleged encounters "Ed" had. They range 
from hearing a "humming" in his head to a Jan. 12 incident where he claims 
he was stopped by a UFO that landed in front of his truck and saw five 
aliens approaching.
      He left, in great haste.
      On several other occasions, Ed claims he was caught in a blue beam 
that held him fast in place. Once it levitated him toward their craft, 
then let him go for reasons unknown.
      He has also told investigators he has heard voices, telling him not 
to be afraid and to stop resisting. He claims he is tipped off to the UFOs 
appearance by a humming sound in his head.
      Because of the humming sound, MUFON investigators have supplied Ed 
with a two-way radio so he can tell them when an experience occurs. He has 
done so, but so far no investigators have seen a UFO.
      The MUFON article ventured to theorize about why Ed has been singled 
out.
      "There is a possibility that Ed may have had an implant installed in 
his head at some time in his life" that was only recently activated, the 
article said.
      The MUFON article said it normally does not publish sighting reports 
until being thoroughly investigated. But it said it was making an 
exception because it is an "ongoing" case with continuing sightings.